Often I am asked what tribal tattoos mean and why so many people want them. So I thought I would write a little history lesson for the people looking for some real information on this art form.
TRIBAL TATTOOS are one of the most popular and ancient types of tattoos for many generations for many ethnicity’s. They have significant meaning for many cultures that date back thousands and thousands of years.
This for of ink tends to be random patterns of lines and curves to create a form of abstract art.
(The picture above is of the actor and famous wrestler, The Rock.)
Most tribal tattoos will tend to have a solid black design but some artists like to throw in various colors and shades to break up the design. Also since this tattoo is mostly large areas of solid black they will hold well with age.
But since this tattoo is solid black tattoo removal may be a little more difficult. So, make sure you are going to get a keeper because even trying to cover up a tribal tatt is almost impossible.
A lot of women love tribal tattoos on their lower back and they can be very sexy when done tastefully. Nothing gets me going like a sexy lower back with some tribal ink near the butt!
OK, back to the lesson……
Tribal designs are really ancient forms of art that came from various tribes such as Aztecs, Indian, Hawaiian, Borneo and Polynesian. The tribes used this for of art to represent meanings of social status, Medicinal purposes, to identify family members, etc. There are many different types of tribal tattoos but two of the most popular are:
Hawaiian tribal tattoos:
This form of tribal seems to differ from most because they were used as a personal identifier. To the ancient Hawaiians tattoos were more than simple decorations. They used to identify individuals and to link them with a specific tribe and family.
Traditional tribal tattoos, or Kakau, used an ink created from the suit of ground kukui nuts and sugarcane juice. Getting a tattoo in ancient Hawaii was definitely painful. Tattooers used needles of used bird claws, beaks, or fish bones tied to sticks, they then struck the stick with a mallet to puncture the skin.
Many Hawaiian’s used plants and animals to represent meaning. Symbols such as orchids which stood for beauty, sea turtles which meant fertility, and a lizard to represent both fear and respect was definitely one to pay attention to.
Hawaiians like to go bold and big when it comes to their ink.
Aztec Tribal designs:
Aztec used this form of art as symbols of devotion to their gods. To pay respect to their heritage many people with Aztec roots tend to get this form of tattoo. This is popular for many Mexican tattoos design from those of ancient Mayan, Inca and Aztec art.
Tattoos were often used in rituals, such as those dedicated to the gods Uitzilopochtle , Cuauhtli or Quahtli. These tattoos were drawn onto the bodies of children (put their tattoos in specific locations on their bodies, each location has a meaning and was considered to be important) in order to show the children’s devotion to this god. Every Aztec tattoo was done in a specific symbolic pattern, depending on the god being honored.
There are different tattoo designs for different types of social classes. Not only that these tattoos were also used to differentiate an Aztec’s livelihood. There’s a different tattoo for the warrior and another kind of tattoo for the priests and scholars.
Many Aztec tattoos are based around themes of the sun. The sun was considered to be sacred to the Aztecs, because it was seen as being the harbinger of life. The Aztec calendar was based around the sun as well, and many images from these calendars include a sun with grim facial features. Some imagery used in Aztec tattoos has lost its meaning, because the Aztecs didn’t write using our alphabet. Instead, they adapted an ancient language known as Nahuatl to describe some of the symbols, and this language has not been fully translated to this day.
OK, that is your tribal tattoo lesson for the day kids. Class dismissed!
